Marcus Mine Read online

  Marcus Mine

  A Forbidden Fantasies Romance

  Mia Madison

  Contents

  1. Fresh Start

  2. Cannonball

  3. Ice Cream

  4. Deer In Headlights

  5. Spanks

  6. Girl Talk

  7. Starry Night

  8. Cherry Pop

  9. Party Mix

  10. Saint’s Cross

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Mia Madison

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Fresh Start

  Alice

  I stood on the curbside, watching the mad rush of cars as they picked up the passengers pouring out of the terminal. The flight into LAX was full, the demographics composed almost equally of businessmen in suits and college-bound kids in jeans and tees. Kids like me, although everyone else seemed very much at ease.

  They must be locals, I thought.

  Although I also wore jeans and a t-shirt, unlike them I was a wreck inside. I had never been outside of my small hometown in Colorado, never even been on a plane before. College life was already a scary proposition, but having to go away for it, without the comfort of old friends and family, was downright terrifying.

  Dad said I already knew the family I would be staying with, but I could barely remember them since they only visited us once. They go way back, dad and this friend, and the fact that they live only a few blocks away from the university made it a no-brainer for him to ask the guy if I could stay for a semester or two. Coincidentally the man also has a daughter who was also nineteen years old, like me, and she was also starting college in the same school.

  Secretly I think dad was afraid of those wildly rumored dorm parties and wanted to protect his precious daughter as much as possible from any bad influence.

  Yeah, right, as if he didn’t already know me by now. If I had survived high school without as much as getting a single ‘B’ or sipping a single drop of alcohol, I was pretty sure I’d be safe in a college dorm. Plus I heard if you lived off campus during your first year you pretty much alienate yourself and you won’t have any friends.

  Just a rumor, of course.

  My phone buzzed. It was dad’s friend, Marcus. Dad had given him my number, along with a recent photo of me.

  Almost there, he texted. Watch for a black Range Rover.

  K, I’m right outside Delta terminal, I replied, then shoved my phone in my back pocket and sighed heavily.

  Here we go.

  A minute later a sleek, black SUV pulled up in front of me. I tried to peer in but the car was completely tinted and I couldn’t see a thing. The driver got out and approached me. “Alice?”

  I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly did not expect this tall, well-built hunk of a man. He was dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans. His face was tan and chiseled, his jaws square, and when his deep blue eyes scanned across my body I felt a strange tingling sensation, almost as if those eyes had the power to caress me with its stare.

  “Alice, right?”

  “Ah, yes!” I said, snapping out of the hypnotic trance I seemed to have fallen under. “Yes, that’s me, Alice,” I blundered, feeling myself blush.

  Why the fuck am I blushing?

  “Hi Alice, I’m Marcus Mansfield.” He extended a large hand and when I shook it a transfer of electric pulse shot through me. He blinked, the surprise registering on his handsome face. He held on to my hand for a few extra beats before letting go, but the contact lingered with me for some time after, adding to my puzzlement.

  The passenger door opened and a tall young woman stepped out. “Alice, so nice to finally meet you! I’m Candace.” She gave me a friendly hug. “How was the flight?”

  “It was good, actually.”

  “My dad said we met a long time ago, but I don’t remember a thing!”

  “Yeah, I don’t really remember it either.”

  “We’ve got a lot to catch up on, then! Let’s get in the back. Dad, is that okay with you?”

  “Sure,” he said, grabbing my suitcase and carry-on while Candace took my hand and pulled me in with her. Marcus placed my stuff in the rear, got in, and we pulled away from the curb.

  The drive from the airport gridlock to their home took about forty minutes, and I got my first taste of LA traffic. Candace had her questions on rapid fire, and I tried to answer them as best and as fast as I could. This California girl talked so fast it was dizzying, and combined with the stop and go traffic and the sheer number of cars on the road, before long I was feeling lightheaded. I was glad when we finally got off the freeway and onto the suburban surface roads.

  “First time in California?” Marcus asked, eyeing me through the rearview mirror.

  “Yes,” I said, glancing at him before quickly looking away. There was something about Marcus, something about how he made me feel which I didn’t quite understand, and what I don’t understand scares me.

  “Well I hope our accommodations will make you feel at home away from home.”

  “I’m sure it will,” I said, giving him a brief smile.

  It certainly was not going to feel like home away from home. Not in a hundred years. Make that not in a thousand years.

  I’m serious.

  I stood in the driveway and gawked. This wasn’t a house. It was an ultra-modern billionaire mansion, the kind you only saw in movies and reality TV shows. It took up an entire block, its multi-level, tinted glass square structure looking more like some art museum from the future.

  “Fuck me,” I said, noting the perfectly pruned plants, the cobbled walkway, and an ancient-looking wooden double door leading into the main house. “You live here?”

  Candace, standing next to me, smiled. “Yeah, cool huh? Come on!”

  I followed her inside, and it felt like I had stepped into the pages of Architectural Digest or something. The interior was nothing short of stunning. Modern, expensive-looking furniture mixed with rustic beams and earthy tones gave it a cozy, livable feel. The walkway opened up into a large living area, and beyond it, a garden and the most beautiful pool I had ever seen.

  I didn’t even own a bathtub in my home.

  Candace gave me the grand tour before showing me my room.

  “Well?” She said, bouncing animated on the huge bed. “Do you like it?”

  “It’s amazing. Beyond amazing. Where’s your room?”

  “I’m right next to you. Dad has the penthouse upstairs.”

  I noticed she didn’t say ‘mom and dad,’ making me wonder where the mom was, but it wasn’t my business to pry. Candace, however, had no problem getting personal.

  “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

  It was the dreaded question. I knew sooner or later it would pop up, and I had actually rehearsed an acceptable answer but for some reason I didn’t want to lie to her. Besides, I was absolutely terrible at lying. It was one of the life skills I never learned to pick up.

  “No,” I said, sitting next to her. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend. How about you?”

  “I’ve had five, but I’m single right now. This is going to be perfect!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Hello? New school? College life? You and I are going to go hunting when school
starts!”

  Oh no, I thought. Not good.

  “I don’t know, Candace. I’ve never been good around guys.”

  “What’s there to be good at? You’re nice, pretty, and you’ve got that hot petite body. You don’t have to lift a finger. I bet you’ve left a trail of boys begging for you back home.”

  “Uh, not exactly,” I said, biting my lip. I always bit my lip whenever I got nervous, and I’m in scary territory right now.

  Candace squinted at me. “But you’ve had boyfriends before, right?”

  “Uh, not exactly.”

  Candace leaned forward. I’ve definitely got her attention now.

  “No boyfriends?”

  I shook my head.

  “But you’ve been with guys before?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you’ve done guys before, right?”

  I blushed. “Are you asking me if I’ve had sex?”

  Candace threw her hands in the air. “Yes, Alice! That’s exactly what I’m asking. Have you?”

  My blush deepened as I looked away. “Um, not exactly.”

  Candace gaped. “Holy fuck, you’re still a virgin.”

  “So what?” I snapped, suddenly irritated. I was very aware of my virgin status. I had often wondered if I was the only girl in our entire high school graduating class who hasn’t gotten her cherry popped. I came close a few times, but the guys I was with were such huge turnoffs for me. They were just boys fumbling around, and I had always wanted my first time to be with a real man, someone who knew what the fuck he was doing.

  “I’m sorry, Alice,” Candace said. “I didn’t mean to be nosy. I’m just shocked, that’s all. I mean, you’ve got the looks and a killer body and all, so I’m just surprised.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, already regretting I lashed out at her. “I did have a couple of chances. The first one was with a football jock, Drake, who was so full of himself he forgot my name twice while we were smooching in the back of his Camaro. Twice, Candace!”

  Candace smiled. “I’ve actually had a few of those myself. You’d be surprised how jumbled up the names get in their cloudy, beer-filled tiny brains sometimes. And what about the second time?”

  “His name was Darren. He was actually a nice guy, and a bit on the nerdy side. I liked him a lot, but in the end he seemed almost afraid of girls, so it didn’t work out.”

  “Don’t worry,” Candace said, winking. “I’m good at this sort of thing. I’ll get you hooked up in no time.”

  Just then Marcus walked into the room. My breath hitched in my throat. The man had a powerful aura about him that was almost palpable.

  “You girls doing okay?” He asked, glancing at Candace before his gorgeous blue eyes settled on me. My stomach knotted up and I suddenly felt hot and flushed.

  “Yeah, dad. We’re just having girl talk, so shoo!” Candace waved him away.

  “Alright. I’ll be barbecuing some steak. Dinner in two hours.”

  Marcus turned and walked away. Candace kept yapping on about how we were going to snag some guys but I barely heard her. I kept staring at the space, now a void, where Marcus stood only seconds ago. There was something about the way he moved that was unlike anyone else I’ve ever met, and it took me a couple of seconds to realize what it was. He made no sound as he walked, and his movements were fluid and graceful despite his muscled frame and over six-foot height.

  He moves like a mountain lion, I thought. Quiet, dangerous, and completely in charge of his domain.

  And then another thought came on its heels, unbidden. I wonder how it would feel like to have someone like him inside me?

  I blushed wildly and turned away from Candace, ashamed and furious at myself.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  Marcus

  What the fuck is wrong with me?

  I shook my head in disbelief as I shut the door to my office. I couldn’t believe the amount of dirty thoughts racing through my mind from the moment I first saw Alice.

  Crazy, rabid, dirty thoughts.

  None of this made any sense at all. She was half my age, Candace’s friend, and a guest in our house. Most importantly, she’s Barry’s daughter, a man I’ve known for a long time. We served together, and we always had each other’s back.

  He had trusted his only girl to me. Me!

  But when I saw her standing by the curb outside the terminal, her tight jeans hugging that perfectly curved ass, her young face looking so innocent, her lips full and delicious, I got an instant boner. I wanted to get her alone in the car, drive to some dark, isolated spot, and ravish her sweet little body.

  And I’ve still got a hard-on like some teenager with wildly spiking hormones.

  Goddammit!

  I unbuttoned my jeans, unzipped, and breathed a sigh of relief as my dick broke out of my pants.

  I couldn’t understand it. Candace had brought many of her friends over - smoking hot, sexy beyond belief girls, but they didn’t even register a blip on my radar. Certainly not before the divorce, and not after.

  I sat down, roused my iMac from its sleep, and tried to focus on my work. In some ways I had to thank my ex-wife. When she left me for another man I was crushed. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t think, and I drank and smoked way too much. I started showing up at work drunk and my employer wouldn’t have any of it. He called me into his office, said he was sorry about what happened to me, and to let him know if there was anything he could do for me. Then he fired my ass.

  Fucker.

  I sulked around for a couple of months until my savings dwindled to almost nothing. Candace and I were about to be evicted from the dilapidated rental we were living in at the time, and I knew I had to turn things around. Fast.

  I still remembered my military training days, and I put myself into boot camp mode, waking up at five in the morning, running for one, two, then five miles a day, followed by two hours of intensive weight training. Within two weeks I had quit smoking, quit drinking, and the fog had lifted from my brain.

  I could think again, and I knew what I had to do.

  I created my own paramilitary company catering to yuppies and rich generation X people who wanted a taste of the military life without the benefit of being shot at. I built my own boot camp facility, hired some of my ex-Ranger buddies and together we trained them, showed them how to fire various weapons, and ran mock capture the flag and infiltration games.

  Not only did it work, but it succeeded beyond anything I could have imagined. Rich folks signed up for the camps, bought the fatigues from me, rented my guns, bought my ammo, and even purchased first responder and military gear from my website. I poured my life into my business, and the money poured in by the millions.

  Within two years I had completely turned our lifestyle around. Candace and I got out of the shit hole we were in and I built this super modern house that not only looked good, but it was also the equivalent of a military stronghold.

  The downside of this was I never really cultivated a new relationship. Barbara leaving had cut a good wound in me, and it took a damn long time for it to heal.

  Well done, my sarcastic self intervened. You’ve had no women in your life since the divorce, and along comes this teenager that’s completely taboo for you, and all you can think of are ways to undress her and get down and nasty with her.

  I shook my head. It was impossible to focus on work. A swim should douse my libido quickly enough. I got up, changed into my swim trunks, and made my way to the pool.

  Cannonball

  Alice

  I stared at the two-piece black bikini on my bed. It wasn’t mine. I didn’t own one and didn’t think I’d need one. However, Candace insisted I try out the pool, so she lent me one of hers.

  I really did not want to parade my almost naked body inside a stranger’s house. Maybe if it was just me and Candace at home, but with Marcus around? Definitely not a good idea. However, I could not find a good excuse to not go. What was I supposed to do, tell he
r I was super conscious of my body with her dad around?

  Just wrap yourself with a large towel, I told myself as I stripped off my clothes. Then when you get to the pool, stay there. I slipped the bottom on, secured the top, and stared at myself in the full-length mirror.

  The bikini fit quite well, surprisingly. I liked the full-bosomed, curvy image in the reflection. Dare I say it? I actually looked sexy. Maybe too sexy. Just the thought of standing next to Marcus with just these two small strips of clothing caused my stomach to do barrel rolls.

  Stop it! I scolded myself. Just get in the pool, you’ll be safe there. Marcus can’t stare at your body while he’s barbecuing. Nothing to worry about.

  I still couldn’t understand what had gotten into me, and why I felt so self-conscious around Marcus. I had no reason to feel anything. I had just met him, he was twice my age, and he’s dad’s good friend. It was completely, utterly illogical of me to feel anything toward him.

  Sighing, I walked to the bathroom, grabbed the largest towel I could find, wrapped it around me tightly, and stepped out of the room. Candace was waiting for me in the hallway, wearing a tiny hot pink, even more revealing bikini.

  “Well, how does it fit?”

  “Pretty good, I guess.”

  “Lets see it!”

  I took off the towel and held it beside me while I turned around for Candace’s benefit.

  Candace squealed in delight. “Alice, you look smoking hot!”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “And you don’t need this,” she said, taking my towel and throwing it on the floor before I could protest. “That’s a bathroom towel, silly goose. We’ve got beach towels by the pool.”

  “But…”

  “Come on,” Candace said, taking my hand and dragging me down the stairs. “I can’t wait to see the expression on my dad’s face when he sees you. He’s going to ogle all over you!”

  “What?!” I said, stopping in my tracks.